Cullera Mayor Denies Mazón Warned Him About DANA During Call: 'He Wasn't Where He Should Have Been'

Jordi Mayor, the Mayor of Cullera (Valencia), acknowledged that the president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, called him on October 29, the day the DANA struck several municipalities in the province. However, he emphasized that Mazón did not warn him about the weather situation and still does not know why he was contacted.

"I don't know where Mazón was, obviously we know he wasn't where he should have been, nor do I know why he called me. He didn't communicate any emergency to me, didn't mention the risk of the Forata dam breaking, nor did he inform me of anything," he stated to Europa Press Television.

Mayor (PSPV) responded to Sunday's statements by the PPCV leader, who claimed he was not "incommunicado" that day and spoke "even with the people who say" he was, "like the Mayor of Cullera." "I called him at 18:28. I wasn't incommunicado at any time, I didn't miss any meal," Mazón added, referring to the lunch he had that day with journalist Maribel Vilaplana to offer her the direction of À Punt, as informed by Presidency sources.

After emphasizing that he has not "accused Mazón of being incommunicado," the mayor indicated that "he has to explain that." "No protocol in a red alert state says you can leave for five hours to dine at a restaurant," he stressed.

According to him, the president called him via WhatsApp, which "surprised" him because he didn't have his number and had never been contacted "for anything." "When you don't have the number saved, on WhatsApp you see the photo, even if you don't have the contact, and I see the president's photo and get startled," he recalled.

"I said, oh dear, what's happening? I answered the call and said, tell me, president, and he said, oh, Jordi, nothing, your name came up, and I thought, well, I'll call Jordi, and he asked, how are you?" he recounted.

According to Mayor, during the call, he explained to Mazón that it didn't rain in Cullera that day, but in the headwaters of the Júcar, and he conveyed that they were monitoring the risk of the river overflowing. He also mentioned that "in principle" they were "calm" because the Júcar's flow in Algemesí was starting to decrease.

At this point, the mayor recalled the words Mazón said to him: "Good, good, good, yes, good. Well, just save my number, this is my personal number, save it, and call me if you need anything." "End of conversation. That's the conversation," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, he highlighted that at that moment he was considering whether to hold the Cullera municipal plenary session at 7 p.m., as he had convened a security meeting at 9 p.m. "I had to make decisions about whether to extend the suspension of schools and the measures we had already adopted," he explained.

"Therefore, I attended the plenary session calmly. In fact, in the plenary, which is recorded and public, I said: The president of the Generalitat called me and said that, in principle, the worst was over," he recounted.

Then, when the mobile alert was sent to the population after 8 p.m., Mayor explained that the plenary session was "automatically" suspended, and it was confirmed that the Júcar's flow was rising again: "We started to act by evacuating and taking measures."

"And until 9:20 p.m., when we received the second mobile alert, we had no communication from the Generalitat about the risk of the Júcar river overflowing," he asserted.

Asked about the reasons for Mazón's call, the mayor stated that he still doesn't know or understand it. "That's why I haven't made it public before: to avoid adding fuel to the fire, because I understand that a conversation more suited to coffee, drinks, and cigars is not what the victims or those who suffered this catastrophe deserve."

He thus urged "to focus on reconstruction, helping the victims, and ensuring everyone takes responsibility." "I can say, minute by minute, day and hour, where I was and what I was doing. The one who seems unable to explain is Mr. Mazón," he noted, demanding not to be "used as an alibi."

Regarding the tone used in the call, Mayor emphasized that he doesn't have "much contact" with Mazón nor knows him well, but he can "say it wasn't an emergency state."

As for the reasons why the president referred to this call, he maintained that "he is a person who is desperate and cornered by his own lies." "I don't know why he uses it, I don't know what he means, because in the end, the call also happened via WhatsApp. Was it that where he was, there was no mobile coverage, and that's why he called me via WhatsApp? I still don't know," he elaborated.

And he wondered "which other mayors he called" and if he contacted the one from Paiporta, "ground zero of the catastrophe," or other mayors from the Ribera Baja region. "With those I've spoken to, he didn't call anyone else," he reiterated, insisting that he "sincerely" doesn't understand why the call occurred.

On another note, following the effects of the second DANA this Wednesday, the Mayor of Cullera explained that the town is looking for a company to start removing the "tons of reeds" accumulated on the beach. They are also trying to "resolve as soon as possible" the repair of the Castle wall after a piece fell off.

"We are already processing all the aid for the citizens. From the administrations, the central government will pay 100% of all these works. And the 200,000 euros aid from the Generalitat, with everything we've had to do in the first weeks, we have practically exhausted that credit," he pointed out.